Sterilizer



Jam-21,1947. I 1.. B. 'MEYERSON Re 22,832

Original Filed Nov; 11, 1931 INVENTOR.

ATTORN .5,

Reissued Jan. 21, 1947 STERILIZER Louis B. Meyerson, deceased, late of Greenwich, Ohio, by Sanit-All Products Corporation, as-- signee, Greenwich, Ohio Original. No..1,9.51,099, dated Marchv .13, .1934, Se.-

rialNo. 574,349, November 11, 1931. Application for reissue August 1', 14946, Serial No.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to. equipment for use in connection with the care of infants, and more particularly to a formula and sterilizer outfit, designed for the sterilization of all instruments or dinarily employed in the feeding of an infant and to'serve as an aid in the preparation and handling of baby food formulas. To prepare the formula physicians recommend the use of special utensils, set apart for this purpose only. Ihis outfit provides these utensils, compactly assembled in a portable container and so designed and arranged that the mother can sterilize, in the home or elsewhere, the milk and other ingredients for making of the formula as well as the various utensil's. convenient packing of the utensils and of a sup- .ply of either empty or full sterile bottles for storage or transportation, and provides means for keeping filled bottles cold.

An object of this invention is to provide a sterilizer arranged and constructed particularly for use with the style of utensils commonly employed in the hygienic care of a child, and to combine with it so as to form a set including a number of such utensils, bottles and conveniently contained nipples, caps or stoppers designed to function as a compactly assembled combination. It is a further object of this invention to so construct the outfit that without change it will be particularly adapted to traveling, and have distinct advantages over the means at present employed for such purposes. When traveling this outfit is most useful, for a convenient size will hold a full twenty-four hours supply of formula already prepared in bottles, with an abundant space for ice to keep the milk cold and fresh, It is a further purpose of this invention to provide a ready means for the pasteurization of milk, without the use of additional facilities than are-afforded by my formula and sterilizer outfit; to similarly provide means for'scalding and boiling; and also to afford the most "convenient facilities for the preparation of formulas in food, as well as storing such until ready for use.

To the accomplishment, of the foregoing and. related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description. setting forth in detail certain devices embodying the invention, such disclosed devices constituting, however, but one of various forms in which the principle of the in vention may be used.

In said annexed drawing- Figure 1 is a group view of the container, rack The arrangement also lends itself to the and parts disassembled; and. Figure 2 is a perspective View of the container and cover :of'lthe sterilizer with sides broken away, having the rack or stand in place as when used, and containing therein certain utensils as bottles, beaker, and the like.

This invention consists of the combination of the piecesshown separately in Fig. 1, and shows assembled in the sterilizerin Fig. 2, in which A is the large receptacle which serves .as a container for all the other utensils; B is the lid or cover of the container, which, when inverted, serves as a mixing bowl, A andB having suitable handles; C is the rack placed inside the container A, so constructed and arranged as to hold the various items in the manner best adapted to sterilization; D is a funnel; E, a beaker; F, a jar for containing nipples, caps or stoppers; F, a jar lid for use in sterilizing; F, a jar lid for use at other times; G, ordinary nursing bottles; H, measuring spoons for use in the formula preparation; and J, a stirring rod for a paddle or blade J at one end; the above enumerated items being designed to be combined and arranged in the manner shown in Fig. 2; so as to form the complete formula and sterilizer outfit. The container A, lidB, and rack C may be made of suitable'metal, such as aluminum.

The rack C is constructed of two parallel horizontal perforated plates 11 and 12 secured to and spaced apart a distance about two-thirds the heights of an ordinary bottle upon legs [3 and M. The bottom plate II is perforated near the outer edge with a series of holes 15 of such size as to engage the bottom of a nursing bottle G without letting it passthrough and in the upper plate 12 there is a corresponding series of larger holes iii of a size for the bottle to pass into. Both plates are also perforated in the center, the central hole I! in the lower plate-being smaller than the central hole H3 in the upper plate, for the purpose of receiving the bottle F in either inverted or upright position as will be described later. The lower plate may also have a large number of smaller perforations 22 for the passage of steam and in the upper plate there may be a ring of smallerperforations l9 surrounding the central hole l8 to permit passage of steam to the inside of the inverted graduated beaker E when the outfit is assembled for sterilizing as shown in Fig. 2'. Near the outer edge there is another small hole 20 in the upper plate only which is used in assembling the utensils as described below.

When all parts of the sterilizer are empty, the

various elements can be assembled as shown in Fig. 2 for sterilizing, it being understood that a suitable amount of water is placed in the principal container A. The rubber nipples or stoppers are placed in the jar F and the perforated lid F put thereon, this jar then being placed upside down in the opening is with the cover F resting upon the rim of the opening I! whereby steam can freely circulate to the inside of the jar. This latter feature of providing a separate container for sterilizing the nipples, instead of al-- lowing them to be loosely thrown into the sterilizer, has the advantage that additional handling thereof, with the incident possibility of contamination, is eliminated. Funnel D is inverted over the upper end of the jar F and the beaker placed over the funnel. The ring of holes l9 permits free access of steam to the inside of the beaker and to the funnel. The nursing bottles G are placed upside down, as shown in dotted lines, and with nipples removed, in the openings IS with their necks projecting down through the smaller holes IS. The rod J is passed through'the holes in the handles of various spoons H and is then put through the hole 20, thus'serving as a convenient means for keeping the spoons from being knocked around or falling into the water. The double rack being new loaded is lifted up by means of handles 2| formed on the upper-extensions of the legs l4 and put into the lower part of the container A. The lid B being put in place and the container being on the stove, the sterilizing may be continued for as long as desired.

After the sterilizing is finished, the top B may be usedas a mixing pan for the formula,v

using the beaker E and spoons H to measure out the ingredients and the rod J to stir the liquid. The nursing bottles G are now placed neck up' in the rack and filled with the aid of the funnel D, the rack also serving to hold the bottles in a convenient position to place the sterilized stoppers or caps thereon. The nipples not being used until feeding hours are left in the jar F and may be kept sterile by putting on the solid lid F If desired, a solution of boracic acid or other mild antiseptic may be kept in the jar.

Another use of the apparatus is for sterilizing either milk or the prepared formula liquid, which is done by putting the bottles neck up in the rack and inside the container, putting a plug of sterile absorbent cotton in the mouth of each and heat-' ing them for a suitable time. In case the apparatus is to be used for traveling, th filled bottles are kept neck up in the rack and the other utensils may either be placed in or left out according to whether they will be needed or not, and the outer container A filled with ice if the temperature warrants. The lid B can be held-on by tying the handles of the lid to the handles '25 of the lower container A.

From the foregoing it will be seen that there has been invented a combination sterilizing outfit which provides for practically every contingency in connection with feeding an infant whether at home, or elsewhere either from the standpoint of sterilizing in the same container and at the '4 accomplishing this end, the whole being of strong and compact construction which may be assembled into a simple and readily handled package.

The outfit is designed and arranged so that the breakable elements are so far as possible of standard design and thus readily replaced.

Other modes of applying the principle of this invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the mechanism herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

What is therefore particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as this invention:

1. In a device of the character described, a container, a rack comprising upper and lower horizontal plates, separated a distance less than the height of a nursing bottle but sufficient to maintain such a bottle in vertical position, said plates plurality of perforations of less diameter each below its respective upper perforation, said lower plate perforations being adapted to hold but not pass the neck of an inverted or the bottom of an upright nursing bottle, whereby bottles may be held snugly in said rack either inverted for sterilization by steam from water heated in said container or upright for other purposes including transportation.

same time. the bottles, utensils and nipples; pre- 2. Ina sterilizing and packing device of the character described, an outer vessel, bottle holding elements therein comprising vertically spaced upper and lower members, co-operable bottle holding means mutually aligned in said members, those in the lower member being adapted to pass the neck but not the body of an inverted nursing bottle, the lower member being so spaced above the bottom of the outer vessel as to hold the mouth of such an inverted bottle well above the level of a shallow layer of water in the outer vessel, steam passages through said members, a central space on said upper member adapted to hold an inverted vessel, and perforations within said space adapted to allow access of steam through said member into such inverted vessel. a

3. In a sterilizing and packing device of the character described, an outer vessel, vertically spaced bottle holding elements therein, cooperablebottle-engaging means in said holding elements, the bottle-engaging means in the upper of said elements fitting the body of a nursing bottle, the bottle-engaging means in the lower of said elements being of diameter greater than the neck but less than the shoulder of a nursing bottle, a support for the lower of said bottleholding elements at a distance above the bottom of said outer vessel such that an inverted nursing bottle will be held with its mouth above a shallow body of water in said outer vessel.

SANIT-ALL PRODUCTS CORPORATION,

President. 

